Splitting wood

Sun Jul 15, 2012 5:47 pm

After splitting wood yesterday in the heat. And feeling I worked way too hard and long for the wood I got split. A sore back and crick in my neck today. All I can think about how much easier and faster it was using my friends splitter at the farm. I really need to get my new splitter built I have most of the parts I just got to order the rest of the parts and steel and start building. My Grandpa and Brother built the one I am using now 30 years ago. And it does amaze me on what it will split with that little cylinder and it has a decent cycle time. But ergonomically it sux.

When I picked up my friends 3pt splitter. And was talking to his dad in his late 60's he laughed and said he split 13 cords in one day with it and if I couldn't I was a wimp.

Here it is on my 65hp Massy. I thought it would use a lot of fuel. But I split for 11 hrs the first day on less than 5 gal.

On anything from 12 to 20 inch rounds its a one hit wonder. Over 20" you have to resplit some.

In the thick of splitting.

Split some pull up and split more.

11 hrs later I had the first pile split. I'm sure its not 13 cords. But when I ask latter he said he split 13 face cords. Thats a big Difference Gerald! Plus he had his son bringing up all the wood in a skidsteer bucket.

I was too sore to split the next day. So I went over my cousin's and helped him put in some deer feed plots. But the next day I was back at it.

I started out by the sawmill. I had a few cord of pine and spruce that had been sitting around to long to put on the mill. So I cut it up for campfire wood.

The back to the pit to finish another pile there. My back was already getting sore. So I said the heck with it so I fired up the loader and got a bucket of wood and took it to the splitter. So I didn't have to bend over to pick up rounds or carry them much. But I hated all the wear I put on the loader starting and stopping it. Along with the danger of having one of those old hoses break and having the bucket fall on my foot.

The duel wings on the splitter are on a hyd so you can lift it out of the way for smaller logs. Or position it better for bigger ones.

I have a few more cords to split. And I need to cut some cedar 4x4's to stack the wood on. But I am really getting closer to having three years of wood ahead.

Billy

Re: Splitting wood

Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:09 am

Wow you sure got a lot done. They say wood heats you up 3 times. Maybe the 1st and 3rd are more desirable than the 2nd !

Re: Splitting wood

Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:11 am

I assume it has its own pump running off the PTO?

Re: Splitting wood

Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:28 am

Billy:

Now I kinda like that splitter head Gotta think on that some. I really like how it has it's own cylinder.

Sure looks like a respectable amount of wood split especially in that heat. Massey looks good as does the W-14. Nice toys I kinda a little on the envious side

Re: Splitting wood

Tue Jul 17, 2012 8:07 am

Thanks Bob

It get handled a lot more than three times 1/ cut it 2/ haul it to the splitting area 3/ split it 4/ haul it and stack it a drying are 5/ load it in a trailer haul to the house throw it in the basement 6/ stack it again 7/ toss it in the stove 8/ haul out the ashes. And repeat

Yep it has a 21 gpm pto pump.

Thanks Rudi

I split that early june so the heat wasn't bad. Not like yesterday. I shut down everything that made heat even the radio and computer. All I had going was a window air conditioner and a fan. It was 101 deg f and its supposed to be hotter today.

Billy

Re: Splitting wood

Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:27 am

cowboy wrote:Yep it has a 21 gpm pto pump.

I love welding / hydraulic projects... Looking at that multi-wedge that goes up and down, it would be a project I'll think about adding to mine.

Re: Splitting wood

Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:47 am

I want one with a splitter head like that! Thanks for sharing. --Lee

Re: Splitting wood

Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:47 am

Sounds good Bob

Gerald said he had to weld some plates in the wedge end of the beam for reenforce it. He splits a lot of oak and said if there was a knot on the outside edge it wanted to twist the beam. I don't know if I built one I would have one set of cross wedges or two like his. I found if I just wanted to quarter a smaller log I would get I would get a 1 or 2 inch splinter from the top wedge.

Cool Lee

The one I am planing on building is going to have a box wedge on it. While it is a little slower as it doesn't split the whole log at one the splits are a lot more consistent especially on bigger stuff. You still end up getting splinters depending on log size. As you split the unsplit part of the log sits on top of the wedge and you just pull it back it drops down and split again. You are not having to hold the log up or bending over to pick a piece that need to be resplit from the ground.